Day 5: Youngstown, Ohio to Erie, Pennsylvania 97 miles

Another state down, three more to go.  We bade goodbye to Ohio and its awful roads and said hello, however briefly it will be, to Pennsylvania.

It was so obvious we were entering a new state…the roads were well-paved.

Today was a day of unusual discoveries.  Some were structural, some agricultural, some physical and one was gastronomic.  But all were good.  All in all, it was a good, albeit, long day.

We'll actually be, more or less, hugging the coast of Lake Erie over the next day or so.  Then, it's on to Lake Ontario.

It was so surprising how many beautiful homes we were passing along some of the most unimaginably poorly paved roads.  Why people could afford such luxury in their homes but not on their roads escaped us all.

We're back in Amish country, although there were no buggies out on the roads today.

In Ashtabula County, here in Northeastern Ohio, there are many covered bridges along the back roads.  We were lucky enough to see two of them today.  This one was closest to our road and the easier one for picture-taking.

One of the surprises along today's ride were the numerous vineyards.  No, I didn't take any pictures of them as all but one seemed to be at the tops to long, steep climbs.  Who could take pictures when you're trying to catch your breath?  Oddly, three of the four vineyards I passed were new vines that had yet to set.  Odd because even though it's been a cold, wet spring, we're now well into summer.  The fourth vineyard was fully set and seemed to be a very mature property.

The White Turkey Drive-In featuring Richardson's Homemade Root Beer.  Established in 1952.  So was I, so I bought the t-shirt!  (You'll notice there are only cyclists at the counter.)

The gastronomic find was White Turkey Drive-In.  It's a staple of this ride.  Everyone in our group stopped there for lunch.  The place seems small but it's got a huge backyard with dozens of tables and a large car park.  The lines of people waiting to place their order rival those of the Shake Shack in New York City.  45 minutes on a Sunday afternoon is typical for this place.  The burgers and fries were really good.  But their homemade Root Beer was the best I've ever had.  Honest.  Even better than Abita Springs Root Beer outside of New Orleans.

That's Peggy, the owner, talking with Patty (back to the camera in the pink jersey) about RAGBRAI.  Patty also has friends riding in next week's event, so they were comparing notes.

Better still was the owner, Peggy.  She had just arrived for the lunch shift when we all got there.  She had been out cycling herself.  Peggy is in training for next week's RAGBRAI (Register and Gazette Bike Ride Across Iowa), the annual traveling circus with upwards of 10,000 cyclists.  So hearing of our adventures and our destination and we all got the special treatment.  Peggy made room at the counter for us all, with the not-too-happy locals standing in line looking longingly at our places on the counter stools and the promise of immediate service.  Thank you Peggy and good luck on your ride!!

Dorothy, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.  Or Ohio for that matter.  Throughout our tour of Ohio, there was an Ohio State Buckeye poster, banner or mural on seemingly every street corner and barn.  As soon as we crossed over into Pennsylvania, these locals got their turn to brag and cheer their home state team.

But the best discovery of today was me finding another gear.  I was riding at a moderate pace for the first 30 miles.  Just before the covered bridge, Patty passed me.  She's a 70-year old grandmother of four and rides like the wind.  The only reason I was ahead of her was that Patty stops often to take more pictures than I do.  We got to the sag stop about the same time but I departed earlier than she did.  About two miles past the sag stop, Patty passed me again.  This time, I decided to try and stay with her pace.  She rides at an average of 19 miles an hour.  Just as a reminder, on a good day, I'm doing 16 miles per hour.  I kept up with her for the first five miles, but at a moderate rise in the road, I lost the energy to keep up with her.  So I wished her well and said I'd see her later, either at the next sag stop or at dinner.  Patty took off but, for whatever reason, never was more than 100-150 yards ahead of me.  I don't know where I found the energy, but I managed to keep that distance a constant for the next 20 miles.  And Patty hadn't slowed down to my speed.  I was doing a brisk 19/20 miles per hour pace that entire time, hills and all.  After 25 miles, Patty stopped to take a picture and I kept going, actually getting into the drive-in before her.  I was exhausted but happy I found something new today out there on the road.  Maybe I should have someone as a rabbit in front of me every day that I ride!

Hey, how did they know we were coming?  Nah, this wasn't for us.  There's a major motorcycle rally, The Race to the Lake, that starts this coming Wednesday here in Erie.  Supposed to be over 1,000 cyclists with a big parade/procession down State Street (in the picture) down to the Lake, straight ahead.